Federal's new load

Gee whiz, all these civvies who think they need hi-cap semis. Five or six not enough! Does anyone sell a 100 round drum for my FiveseveN?

In other news I just picked up a very nice 686 (at a very nice price) from the LGS. Owner said he got it in trade for a plus:cool:
I never heard anyone complain of having too much ammo after having to use a gun in self defense. And why do you need 5 or 6 when 1 or 2 will do? Guess more of that hi-cap stuff!

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130 grain bullet at 1200 fps out of a Centennial?! That can't be correct. Will wait to see the results from other tests before coming to any conclusions.

p.s. Federal website lists 890 fps for this load.

Federal Premium Ammunition - Handgun

And that's 890 fps out of a 4" bbl.. :)
38 Spl at almost 1200 fps out of 1 7/8" bbl. is smoke and mirror stuff, IMO. :confused:
 
Forgot to mention that recoil was quite mild, too.
I would not hesitate to carry this load in a snub, on the few occasions when I do carry one.

I don't consider it a "second tier", just an alternative.

Re accuracy, best five-shot group off a rest through the Colt at 25 yards was 3 1/8 inches.
When I test for accuracy, it's ALWAYS off a rest at a bull's-eye target at a measured distance.
Denis
 
Actually Rule One of gunfighting is "Make every possible effort to avoid gunfights." Rule Two is "Have a gun."

For the last eighteen years I've carried a .38 Special J-frame loaded with the old FBI load or its Buffalo Bore equivalent. The loading has a long history of effectiveness from two- and four-inch barrels. In the wildly unlikely event that I were forced to shoot someone, I figure it and the J-frame and I would certainly have a fighting chance.

The important consideration is still avoiding situations in which I'd need to test that.
 
I never heard anyone complain of having too much ammo after having to use a gun in self defense. And why do you need 5 or 6 when 1 or 2 will do? Guess more of that hi-cap stuff!

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Couple of times I still had 3 in a J after a shoot. I am not saying don't have more ammo, just that IMHO CCW holders wildly overestimate the amount they would ever under any circumstances use. If someone decides they need a G17 and two spare 33 round mags, they just might be less likley to carry it 100% of the time, whereas carrying a 351c 100% (or a 642 with LHBWCs) because its what like 11.6 (19) ounces or something would serve them better.
 
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Don't put the 38spl down.

If you do your part it will do it's part.

I have 1st hand knowledge about the statement I made above being fact and proven on several occasions using standard 158gr factory loads.

If between your ears there's a belief that you need a special type of ammo then you need to use it in order to have confidence in your selection.
I agree. I have never heard of the .38 Special failing to penetrate a Carhartt jacket like the 9mm did when fired by the NYPD.

There are plenty of good .38 Special SD loads available today. I'm not sure the HST ammo is any different than any other SD wadcutter load.
 
I agree. I have never heard of the .38 Special failing to penetrate a Carhartt jacket like the 9mm did when fired by the NYPD.

That is NOT what happened. The bullet penetrated through the knife-wielder's torso, exiting the body with enough energy to break the skin but not enough to go through the jacket. In other words, the bullet worked the way it was supposed to.

Claims Carhartt Jacket Stopped NYPD Bullets Were False

NYPD says police bullets didn't bounce off knife-wielding psycho - NY Daily News
 
First guess would be that the chrono pickups were close enough whilst testing the snub that they registered the shockwave of the muzzle blast (1200fps is a little fast for usual speed of sound in air, but close enough) rather than the bullet crossing.

I ran into that same situation a few months ago, shooting some loads over my chronograph. I simply backed up a few more feet and solved that problem. I was getting velocities close to double what they should have been, if I remember correctly.
 
What I find funny are guys who poopoo the .38 Spl as a defensive load, THEN rave about how great the 147 grain 9mm is as a defensive load.

Think about that one for a minute.

A 9mm loaded to .38 Spl velocities is somehow magic, yet a .38 is garbage?
 
What I find funny are guys who poopoo the .38 Spl as a defensive load, THEN rave about how great the 147 grain 9mm is as a defensive load.

Think about that one for a minute.

A 9mm loaded to .38 Spl velocities is somehow magic, yet a .38 is garbage?

BTW, anyone who was on the SOU is a good person to listen to (Cough, StakeOut, Cough).

I just read that review. Those sure look like upside down HBWCs. Hmmmm.
They also remind me of the original Hydra Shok bullet.
I think I need to buy some to test, though I'm still a big fan of the FBI and Treasury loads.
 
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What I find funny are guys who poopoo the .38 Spl as a defensive load, THEN rave about how great the 147 grain 9mm is as a defensive load.

Think about that one for a minute.

A 9mm loaded to .38 Spl velocities is somehow magic, yet a .38 is garbage?

It's the 9s round nose, so much more, ahem, effective than a WC, ahem, or SWC, ahem, cough, cough.:confused:
 
That is NOT what happened. The bullet penetrated through the knife-wielder's torso, exiting the body with enough energy to break the skin but not enough to go through the jacket. In other words, the bullet worked the way it was supposed to.

Claims Carhartt Jacket Stopped NYPD Bullets Were False

NYPD says police bullets didn't bounce off knife-wielding psycho - NY Daily News

I read your link to the Daily News articles.

The knife was described as "huge" and an "eight-inch knife." You'd think it had an eight-inch blade. The photo showed a Spyderco Endure or something that looks like one. It has a four-inch blade!

This is another example of how the liberal press hypes anything weapon-related. Of course, they like to add drama to sensationalize a story, anyway. BTW, as a Journalism major, I was taught to do this. Accuracy isn't as important as selling newspapers or increasing TV ratings!

Mind you, I think the shooting was warranted. A four-inch blade is potentially lethal. But they made the knife sound twice as large as it was.

To top it off, they did a very poor job of explaining that the bullets penetrated the body of the decedent (I'm not going to call him a "victim") before impacting the REAR of the coat ON EXIT!

The two officers who fired shot the man nine times before he dropped and expired. The member who posted above that only 2-3 shots are required may want to reflect on that. I've read about numerous cases where multiple shots were required. Granted, such articles almost never reveal where each shot struck the target. Placement in a vital zone is crucial. I know of a grizzly bear shot six times with a .357, but only one bullet hit where it needed to, killing the bear.
 
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It's not an upside down hollow-based wadcutter.
Jacketed & specifically designed for this application.
Denis

I don't think Jaymo was saying it was an upside down HBWC. But the basic design looks to have a lot of the same attributes as an upside down HBWC. Huge cavity and loaded flush with the case mouth. I can see where their inspiration came from. ;)
 
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